Orquesta Buena Vista Social Club
Saturday, October 17 | Laurie Auditorium
With the U.S. opening an embassy in Cuba this year — and the impending invasion of the first McDonald's in Havana only a matter of time — it's hard to fully put into perspective how shocking the eponymous 1997 release from the Buena Vista Social Club was. The Afro-Cuban style, so pervasive in the 1940s and '50s, had re-emerged from nowhere, with its original makers still capable of the same fire. Since that time, several members of the original lineup have passed, including pianist Rubén González and vocalists Compay Segundo and Ibrahim Ferrer. The remaining members, reformed as the 13-piece Orquesta Buena Vista, now look to keep the flame going for one last tour. — J.D. Swerzenski
